If you don't want to watch this all at once: 0:39 - Slow intro quoting prior movements 5:54 - Exposition, first theme (fugue, green subject) 8:17 - Exposition, second theme ("gesangsperiode" orange theme) 13:53 - Exposition, closing (3rd) theme (green augmented variant) 16:07 - Brass chorale theme (blue) 18:30 - Development (fugue, blue subject) 22:47 - Development (double fugue, blue/green subjects) 27:52 - Recapitulation (blue/green themes) 30:24 - Recapitulation ("gesangsperiode" orange theme) 33:13 - Recapitulation, closing theme, return of purple theme from first movement, counterpoint involving purple/green themes 37:01 - "Coda of all codas" with return of green/blue/purple themes in augmentation

This is tremendous, an analysis that musical students, scholars and lovers will return to over and over again for years to come.

It took the world 122 years after Bruckner's death to fully understand this Finale. I say "fully understand" because beforehand, this knowledge was only disseminated among musicologists and musicians. I was born in 1979 and I've read zillions of analyses of this movement pointing out as to how amazing, unbelievable, incredible & ginormously impressive it was, but always basically saying: "It would take an entire book to express how great it is". Well, Mankind can all have a summary of said book in 40+min on KZfaq thanks to Richard Atkinson.

As a Bruckner fan who lacks your analytical skills and whose aural acuity is near-deafness compared to yours, I thank you for making me love Bruckner even more. A brilliant video!

This symphony is like nothing else in music. A type of crudeness or naivety mixed with the most sophisticated technique. It's like a single man building Stonehenge.

My god, 45 minutes analysis, this is a good day

We don't deserve this channel. I feel like crying with delight when I see one of these new videos!

Its about time that Bruckner should be standing on a pedestal next to Beethoven as the two greatest composers of symphonies

There are 5 minute videos I can't sit through. Sat through all 44 minutes of this without interruptions.

unbelievable. Whats makes this so much greater than any "regular" fugal work is the form. Bruckner invented his own form and its almost impossible to predict where he's going to go next. Its much like Beethoven's Grosse Fugue in essence. Complete technical mastery breaking free of any restrictions. I was mesmerized the whole time by your video. Thanks!

I swear to god, that coda gets better every single time I hear it.

Daniel Barenboim likened a Bruckner symphony to an archaeological dig, exposing layer upon layer!

Can anyone ever forget the days he first heard Beethoven, and Bruckner? For me, the first was the Emperor, played by Claudio Arrau and the Philharmonia; the second was the Third Symphony in a riveting performance by a consummate Brucknerian. A few bars was enough. It was like what Robert Frost said about poetry: 'The right reader of a good poem will know the moment it strikes him that he has taken an immortal wound--that he will never get over it.' This analysis serves to better understand the wound.

pretty amazing and imagine anton over your shoulder, telling you what a great job you did!

The amount of dedication you put into your videos is amazing. Great job. Thank you for your knowledge.

Your work here so concisely and clearly outlines everything, it makes me feel smarter than I really am.

Extraordinary analysis of this extraordinary piece of music. This is sure to become a standard resource for the understanding of Bruckner's art for scholars, musicians, and music lovers for years to come. This is an example of musical analysis of the highest order, increasing the understanding of a complex work of art which will affect the way Bruckner's music will be listened to in the future. Thanks for all the great videos in the past and hopefully those to come in the future.

The 5th and 8th are my favourite Bruckner symphonies; this survey of the final movement of the 5th is superb.

All of Bruckner 8 next!!

I think this is your magnum opus. Bruckner is simply the best. THANKS

Thank you so much for this INCREDIBLE video. I'm going to hear Cleveland play this tomorrow night and even though I'm 50 years old and a classical musician, I've never heard a Bruckner symphony live. Your analysis has given me such a fabulous insight into this work. My experience tomorrow is going to be so much the richer for it. Thank you!

HOLY MOTHER OF ALL SYMPHONIES! That was amazing! I went into this work expecting some impressive counterpoint but not with this level of epicness! Thank you so much for sharing. Your channel is also a huge help for any and many composers out there today looking for inspiration for their new original works. Again, huge thanks! Brilliant work!

A brilliant analysis of the complicated work of a genius. Thank you so much!

I first discovered Bruckner's genius in his motet Os Iusti. Having heard nothing else from him, I didn't know what to expect, the motet itself was rather "out there" for being in the Lydian mode and yet itself was very subdued (extremely simple harmony, very little 'oomph'). Hearing his other choral pieces, I was taken aback by how radical the harmonies were in comparison. Every piece I discover by Bruckner is a further surprise. I have never seen anybody combine traditional musical structures with radical harmonies as well as him.

Superb work!

Bruckner was a genius

WOW!!!!! I LOVE BRUCKNER!! I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU'VE ACTUALLY DONE A BRUCKNER ANALYSIS VIDEO!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I HOPE MORE BRUCKNER SYMPHONIES WILL BE UPLOADED IN THE FUTURE!!! THANKS!!

This is a magnificent video about one of my favourite movements in all the repertoire. Bravo!

When I first heard you say "Various other combinations that will make your head spin" in reference to the many contrapuntal combinations in this brilliant movement at 25:15, the first thought that popped into my head was "why didn't I know about this amazing composer earlier?"

watching this i had a memory that i thought might be a mandela-effect: that some conductors included extra brass (the so called "eleven apostles") for this movement. thankfully, google is my friend. "The Fifth was a particular favorite of Jochum. TAHRA's notes include many detailed comments by the conductor on interpreting the entire symphony and how he uses 11 additional brass instruments in the finale: 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones and 1 bass tuba, jokingly called "the 11 Apostles - Judas, the Twelfth, is not among them." Franz Schalk found when he conducted the work that when it came to the majestic last-movement chorale brass players were so tired they were unable to present this music in its full glory, so he introduced the 11 extra players in a raised position behind the orchestra, a concept supported by Jochum except that he has the extra players mixed in with the regular brass section. From bar 583 onward in this performance all of the brass, regular and added, join in the chorale, producing a grandiose effect indeed. " from classicalcdreview.com/bruckner5ej.htm

Where Bruckner's genius explodes and makes his "enemies" speechless. So much science of counterpoint for a so musical, lyrical, romantical result !

Thank you Richard! I've been listening to Herr Bruckner's symphonies for more than 50 years and this is the best deep dive into one of his scores I've ever seen. You are wonderful at your craft!

I did it! Watched the whole thing uninterruptedly :-)

No fugue fatigue man, i was rocking with my feet and headbanging, don't apologize for this amazing work of yours (for sure not for Bruckner's :P), this is gold content on youtube!

I am a Chinese music lover. Many times have ich the piece heard. But this clip firstly clearly transparently shows me that how and why this piece was so fascinating. Thanks for all!!

Many Many Thanks for this.I have been listening to this tremendous symphony for 40 years and regard it as one of the pinnacles of western art. To see an excellent analysis of the finale has been immensely gratifying. Isn’t the reappearance of the chorale (blue) in the coda one of the great moments in all music?

Amazing amount of work. Excellent presentation. Thank you.

This is the single most monumental KZfaq video ever!

I just love your presentation of the scores using different colours and brief verbal indications. This helps to grasp quickly what otherwise only a long and arduous study of the score would reveal. Maybe Bruckner's or Beethoven's contemporaries would have been able to simply hear all these details, but we live in such a visual world now that the use of colours does the trick best! Looking forward to more great videos like this.

If you use a color filter on your computer or phone in the evening, you should disable it before watching this video, since it might make the green and blue themes look indistinguishable.

Thank you! The finale is unbelievable. Thank you for the explanation.

Richard - thank you for this wonderful exposition of the Symphony of Symphonies. Best wishes, B

Simply....thank you!!!!!!

Awesome analysis of this monstrous piece. To be watched several times.

Dood! Thanx!! That was a whole college course in composition, arranging, orchestration, counterpoint, harmony and everything else. You did an amazing job explaining this. I could study this for years and not come close to what Bruk did.

Thank you so much for posting! As a Bruckner fan and non-music major, this helped a lot in understanding Bruckner’s music. Thank you so much!

Three-quarter-hour Atkinson video? This week is turning out great.

I remember hearing this work for the first time live when I was a child.(I can't remember the artists, certainly a British Orchestra, maybe Halle orchestra). You can imagine what the impact of the incredible loudness of that final coda had on me. Never forgotten!. Bruckner just an incredible, unique man. Hooked on him ever since.

Bravo, Richard -- this must have taken so much time to create. One of my favorite Bruckner movements. His level of craft was astounding and one could get lost for years in a Bruckner or Brahms Symphony. Thanks for making these for all to enjoy!

As an avid listener to Bruckner's 5th since many years, and as an amateur-orchestral score student, I would like to convey my thanks for your cristal-clear and perceptive analysis of the fugal techniques in the unique and amazing 4th Movement. This music never fails to move me deeply, and your video allows me to understand more of the genius composer Bruckner. It has deepened the emotional impact of the music as I experience it while listening. An enrichment of the part of my life that is dedicated to great music such as this!

Even though I'm not an immense fan of Bruckner's symphonies (I do very much like his choral work), I never fail to recognize his genius that he had possessed and his monumental importance to western classical music.

Thank you. Sometimes we are simply swept away by the beauty of the music and we forget how much meticulous planning went into the composition of these symphonies. But as opposed to other subjects, where working through the details can become a tedious slog, this sort of analysis only increases my appreciation for the music of Bruckner.

I ate this video like I eat my pancakes. All of them at once and left with a great, happy, saturated feeling. Great work!

Époustouflant. Le grand Anton Bruckner s'est surpassé. J'ai maintes fois écouté cette 5ème Symphonie et 'est l'une de mes préférées avec la monumentale 8ème. Un immense merci pour votre analyse . . . .

Well done for tackling this, the greatest of symphonic fugues.

Thank you so much, Richard Atkinson. Youre as good as Leonard Bernstein in analysis, AND youre master od a system of video display that is dazzling as the different themes go thru a color dance to the music. This is a magnificent exercise in close.attention.

Thanks so much for this! I'm not a musician, but even as a lay listener it's helped me immensely to make my way through this formidable work. I can't say it's my fave Bruckner, but goodness it must be the most technically complex! It's like celestial mechanics in sonic form. ;) It's amazing that a "country bumpkin" had the intellectual prowess to order music at this insanely high level. His mind was obviously not like other mortals. Had he gone into medicine he may have cured cancer, or come close. PS: Would you consider giving timings of where specific sections begin? It would definitely makes things easier to follow! Like I believe the transition to the crescendo that becomes the double-fugue starts @ 10 mins 50 secs on the recording by Lorin Maazel. Would you say that's about right? Thnx!!!

Started watching, had to watch it all.

Die 5. Symphonie von Anton Bruckner wurde vom 2. Satz zuerst komponiert. Die Konzeption des "Wiederausbruchs" - im Sinne von Ernst Kurth, was das symphonische Schaffen Bruckners charakterisiert, erst ab der 5. Symphonie erkennbar. Die kontrapunktische Doppelaktion (zum Beispiel Umkehrungsaugmentation = Umkehrung zugliech augmentiert (doppelt verlängert) und die 3 fache Themenmischung sowie der Einsatz des Orgelpunkt am Ende der kontrapunktischen Arbeit plus mehrmalige 5 Klänge Einsätze sind ein für Bruckner eine musikalische Waffe, mit der der Zuhörer sein Verfassungsvermögen verliert. So kommt am Ende ein Moment des musikalischen Erhabenen, in der das Subjekt gegenüber dem Werk dominiert wurde - im Sinne von Kant. Analyse Literatur: Die Analyse und die Ästhetik der Steigerungsprozesse in der Symphonik Anton Bruckners, 3 Bde, Diss. Univ. Frankfurt 2003.

Symphony of the majestic nature with mountains and river streams just like holiday in Baff National Park Canada.

Beautiful! I hear so much more now when I listen to it. A casual listener does not notice all these details, but once they are pointed out, it's impossible not to notice.

Fantastic, super thematic analysis of a great symphony. Almost all analyses such as Simpson, Tovey, and Brown of Bruckner tend to be harmonic. Now I can only hope for rhythmic and dynamic analyses of Bruckner. I hope you will do the rest of the symphonies.

A magnificent analysis of the most knotty and overwhelming Bruckner finale. There is so much here that I did not appreciate. Many thanks for all your work that went into this. I am a lifelong Bruckner listener, and occasionally performer. This is an incredibly valuable resource and learning video, of a substance comparable to its subject. I applaud you.

Wonderful ! And right in time for me as I listened to this 5th symphony like once every week since 6 months ago ! Thank you so much for this great analysis revealing again the genius of those composers and bringing to conscience what we can feel by our heart when listening to the music !

Wow. I really appreciate this effort that went into this video, and it's a fitting tribute to the great last movement. I can't say I followed everything ( fugue fatigue) but I enjoyed trying. Many thanks.

An analysis like this for the first movement of mahlers 7th symphony would be incredible!

Thank you for ending only on the music, Richard. My goosebumps lasted over a minute. Incredible work. I keep coming back to this video over and over.

Can'timagine the work it took to produce this, and, of course, the underlying erudition. Thanks.

Sublime analysis, sublime Bruckner 5! Thank you so much for bringing this experience to me: I never thought of its hypercomplex structure when I listened to this mvt before. Makes me appreciate it much much more now!

Nothing in my life impressed me more musically than Anton Bruckner. He was awesome.

Oh dear...this is what KZfaq could be/should be. Magnificent achievement....I thank you for helping me to better understand the complexity of Bruckner's near unimaginable architectural achievement. I will now wipe away the tears. Thank you again.

This video must have been a nightmare to make. Your hard work is much appreciated. The John Williams theme was always one of my favourite moments in the symphony!

Richard, greetings. I love returning to this video - it is one of your Pyramids and KZfaq is going to be around for a long, long, time. Given the opulence of the B5 - the Symphony of Symphonies - you could probably make a new video on it every year and still have something wonderful and original to say. Mozart's Prague Symphony is on the agenda today,. Best wishes to your good self - B

Jazz musicians play ping pong with key signatures. Bruckner knocks them out of the ball park.

Thanks so much for your insightful musical analysis.

Wow. This must have taken a long time to put together. I'm 10 minutes in but I have to say that this is one of your strongest and most interesting videos yet!

15:20 this part is awesome wow. this piece reminds me a LOT of Mozart's 24th piano concerto movement 1, not just the rhythms but the octave leaps placed on downbeats

That coda is magnificent.

I've been coming to Yt platform almost since the beginning (somewhere in 2006). Since 2008 my favorite video has been an amateur creation of a French lady, now hitting 1M views, but she seems to be gone. Full of poetry and free from any pretension, she has formed my taste and aspirations and has remained my favorite video maker... up until a few days ago. Then I saw this one. I have never remotely seen such a feat within what is closest to my life-long fascination by AB - now approaching half a century. I would not dream to think the insight like this will even be accessible to me in my lifetime. You however have revealed to us who are not professionals the layered formula of Bruckner magic that we could only hear but not clarify and see. Please do more of this, like 8th, 9th or 4th. The 7th you merely touched! Your try on the 6th is commendable.

Brilliant video. What joy the composer must have felt on completing this mighty symphonic journey. The clarinet tune at bar 11 reminds me of a little coiled spring, gaining strength through this movement until it rears up in unrecognisable splendour to drive the fugue to its conclusion.

YES! I have been waiting for this. Thank you.

Richard - you make this all sound so EASY! :) Thank you!

Absolutely fantastic work! Cannot thank you enough for your time. Wow Bruckner really is a disciple of Bach!

thank you for making this video, it is amazing!

Astute analysis of a monumental, but joyfully exuberant finale. Anton was having some pedagogical fun composing this one. Haitink well conveys the hijinks.

love this videos !!

Jesus Christ, how the hell does one man create such a behemoth? As an amateur composer, just thinking about the complexity of Bruckner symphonies make me wanna crawl into a corner and cry, especially when I've been stuck in the same fugatto section for the past month

Grand music. Thanks Richard!

Awesome video! Top notch analysis of a top notch finale!

Fantastic Richard!

Thank you for your great work.

Thank you for a very well crafted and interesting video on Bruckner!

Thank you so much for the amount of work you put into this videos

Thank you for analysing my favourite Bruckner symphony. Fantastic work!

Thanks for this!

I'd love to see you tackle Bruckner's mighty 9th, it was the first orchestral work I ever saw in concert and it remains one of my favorite pieces of music.

Just discovering your videos. Just amazing stuff! Thank you!!

You are my hero ! Thanks man. that was something...

Thank you!

Fantastic Video, Ms Atkinson!! Thanks!